This report reviews some goals for laboratory activities in contemporary science teaching, discusses an investigation that analyzed and compared laboratory activities from two major physics guides, and discusses the implications of the goals and analysis for physics teaching. Six major deficiencies in the two laboratory handbooks are identified.…

In evaluating whether the laboratory guides for Project Physics and for PSSC are consistent with the goals of their designers in demonstrating the interplay between experiment and theory in the development of physics, a system was developed for analyzing physics laboratory investigations, and the laboratory activities in the "PSSC Physics…

The history of the use of laboratory work in teaching science is traced from the 18th century to the present laboratory-centered curricula. Major rationales and objectives for laboratory work are presented, and different types of laboratory activities are discussed from the standpoint of learning theories and research findings. Also discussed is…